Gnome dolls and kits for construction

ABSTRACT

Provided are character figures, modular parts for character figures, and kits for making character figures. The character figure can have one or more modular parts so that the figure can be customized and modified. The modular parts can include such as a nose, ears, shoes, feet, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof. Also provided are kits for making character figures comprising one or more modular parts. The character figure can have a fabric body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/228,625, having the title “GNOME DOLLS AND KITS FOR CONSTRUCTION”, filed on Aug. 21, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

There is a demand for collectable, customizable character figures and bespoke character figures. Producing a completely customized character figure for each customer order is expensive and time-consuming for the artist and causes expense and delay for the consumer. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for character figures, modular parts for character figures, and kits for making character figures.

An embodiment of the present disclosure includes a character figure having one or more modular parts. The modular parts can include such as a nose, ears, shoes, feet, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof.

An embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a kit for a character figure comprising one or more modular parts. The modular parts can include such as a nose, ears, shoes, feet, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof. The kit can also include a casing for a body.

Other compositions, apparatus, methods, features, and advantages will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional compositions, apparatus, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated upon review of the detailed description of its various embodiments, described below, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1-3 are camera images of examples of assembled prototypes of a gnome figure in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Circled areas indicate prefabricated modular parts.

FIGS. 4-24 are camera images of examples of prototypes of various themed gnome figures and examples of the corresponding prefabricated modular parts and accessories in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 25A-25C are camera images of examples of one possible attachment means for accessories in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 is a camera image of an example of a freestanding accessory for a figure in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, and as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, the preferred methods and materials are now described.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order that is logically possible.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

General discussion

In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure, in some aspects, relate to modular character figures and kits for making character figures dolls.

The present disclosure includes modular parts for character figures. Advantageously, the character figures can be customized easily based on a stock body by selecting from the modular parts. The modular parts can include anatomical parts such as feet, ears, and noses as well as accessories including shoes, hats, belts, and lifestyle accessories.

In some embodiments, the modular parts can be 3D printed or injection molded. The 3D printing can be filament, resin, or other technique as can be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art.

In other embodiments, the modular parts can be molded from a cast. In a particular embodiment, the modular parts can be molded from a silicon or rubberized material for flexibility or can be such as resin or other plastic. In some embodiments, the molding and casting can be performed using a “squish mold”.

The modular parts can be printed or molded in a single color or a plurality of colors. In some embodiments, the modular parts may be painted after production and/or include stickers or labels.

The character figures (also referred to as dolls), may have a soft body that includes a fabric casing filled with a filling material (e.g., dry rice, dry beans, beads, organic stuffing, or man-made stuffing such as those commonly used as toy filling). As can be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art, the body can be of various sizes. In some embodiments, the body can be made from a sock. In a particular embodiment, the body can be made from a liner sock, such as a no-show sock. In other embodiments, the body can be a fabric casing made from natural and/or manmade materials such as cotton, canvas, wool, burlap, plush material, faux fur, or other fabrics as can be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art.

The characteristics of the character figures can be customized by changing the selections and combinations of the body, anatomical parts, and accessories, each of which can be provided in a number of colors, textures, and sizes. Advantageously, the modular parts are provided to fit particular sizes of body so that the modular parts are interchangeable for a given size of body.

The anatomical parts and accessories may be attached to the body in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the anatomical parts can be attached using adhesive. In other embodiments, the anatomical parts and/or accessories may be attached with a removable means, such as hook and loop fasteners. In yet other embodiments, the anatomical parts and/or accessories may be attached to the body or to other parts with magnets. For example, one magnet may be sewn or glued to the inside or the outside of the body casing to pair with a magnet glued to or embedded in an anatomical part or accessory. For example, a nose or ears may be magnetically attached to the body.

Advantageously, the feet or shoes can provide a base such that the figure can stand upright, even with a soft body. In some embodiments, the shoes or feet can be formed separately, or the pair can be a single piece. In some embodiments, the body can stand upright on the base (e.g. freestanding without being affixed). In other embodiments, the body can be affixed to the base with adhesive or removable means as described above.

In some embodiments the modular parts can include a belt, and additional modular parts are attached to the character figure via the belt. For example, the belt can include loops onto which an accessory is clipped or tied. In this manner, the character figure can appear to be holding or wearing accessories even though the character figure may not have arms. In other examples, the belt may have clips and the accessories can have loops.

In some embodiments, the character figures are gnomes. However, the character figures may be other creatures, such as fictional characters or animals. Non-limiting examples include unicorns, elves, trolls, cats, dogs, monkeys, pigs, penguins, birds, and the like.

The character figure can also include hair, fur, and/or facial hair (e.g., beard, moustache), which can include soft material such as yarn, natural fibers, or manmade materials such as those used for stuffed animals.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a kit for a character figure as above, wherein the kit can include one or more modular parts for a character figure. Advantageously, the kit can be provided to a consumer so that the consumer can customize a character figure. In some embodiments, the kit can also include a body for the attachment of the modular parts. In some embodiments, the casing for a soft body can be included in the kit for stuffing and assembly by the consumer.

The character figures may be provided as a finished doll, as a kit to be assembled by a consumer, or as a selection of modular parts so that a character figure can be modified. The kit can be provided as a themed selection (e.g., a fireman gnome, a wizard gnome, a sports fan gnome, a musician) including lifestyle accessories. The kit may include the body or only the accessories. The consumer may be able to select from a number of options to customize the shape of the nose, ears, beard color, etc. For example, the consumer may choose body parts to create a custom character resembling a caricature of a person. The kit can include a selection of body parts and/or accessories so that the consumer may alter an existing character figure, such as for holidays or activities. In some embodiments, the character figure and/or kit can include a backstory for the character figure.

The character figures and the modular parts for the character figures can be provided in a variety of sizes. In some embodiments, the modular parts are provided in sizes to fit a body from about 4 to 6 inches tall. In other embodiments, the modular parts can be sized to fit other sizes of body, for example a character figure from about 6 inches to 2 feet tall.

Advantageously, the character figures described herein can be customized in a variety of ways. For example, the appearance of the character can be customized by the selection of body parts, such as a round nose, a broad nose, small ears, large ears, pointed ears, boots, feet, shoes, hair color, etc. Other parts, including tails, eyes, mouths, or hands could be included. Additionally, the character figure may be modified by the choice of lifestyle accessories or costumes. Non-limiting examples of themed characters can include sports, careers, hobbies, costumes, holidays etc. Some examples archer, nurse, scuba diver, football player, sports fan, tennis player, backpacker, artist, barbarian, Santa, beach bum, artist, construction worker, scientist, gardener, hockey player, musician, barbarian, orc, pirate, wizard, etc. More detail is provided in the examples below.

EXAMPLES

Now having described the embodiments of the disclosure, in general, the examples describe some additional embodiments. While embodiments of the present disclosure are described in connection with the example and the corresponding text and figures, there is no intent to limit embodiments of the disclosure to these descriptions. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Additionally, where dimensions are provided in the figures, these dimensions are intended to be non-limiting and are provided as particular examples.

The present disclosure includes several embodiments of character figures and kits for making and modifying character figures, which can be described in light of the figures. Each of the figures show gnome characters, but the principles discussed and shown herein can also be applied to other types of characters as described above.

FIGS. 1-3 are examples of assembled gnome character figures (hereinafter gnomes). The circled areas indicate modular parts as described above. Each of FIGS. 1-3 are based on the same size body but have different appearances due to the modular body parts and accessories. For example, the gnome in FIG. 1 includes modular feet and ears. In this particular example, the hat and nose are knitted and the ears and feet are 3D printed. The gnome in FIG. 2 includes a 3D printed nose, ears, and boots. The gnome in FIG. 3 includes a 3D printed nose, ears, feet, and nurse's hat. Note that the body in FIGS. 2 and 3 are the same size and color. The appearance is changed by the differently shaped body parts. The beard color can also be changed to further customize the figure. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 , the modular parts can be used in combination with soft accessories such as knitted clothing.

FIG. 4 provides an example of a gnome figure formed from a kit containing a variety of modular parts. The archer gnome shown includes body parts (nose, ears, boots) and accessories (hat, bow, quiver, and belt). The belt includes two loops upon which the bow and quiver are attached. In this example, the quiver is printed with an integral clip that can be inserted into the belt loop. A clip is shown with the belt; this clip can be attached to the bow for insertion into the belt. Measurements of the modular parts are included in the figure. In this example, the nose is about 1-inch round, the ears are about 1.75 inches tall and 0.75 inches wide, and the shoes are about 3×2×1 inches each. The quiver is about 1 inch high and 3 inches tall and the bow is about 4 inches tall. The belt has a circumference of about 4 inches, which fits snugly around the middle of the gnome's body. As mentioned above, the modular parts can be scaled to fit bodies of different sizes to produce figures that are larger or smaller than the shown embodiment.

FIG. 5 provides an example of a gnome figure formed from a kit containing a variety of modular parts. The artist gnome shown includes body parts (nose, ears, shoes) and accessories (hat, paintbrush, palette, and belt). The belt includes two loops upon which the brush and palette are attached. In this example, the palette can be clipped into the belt loop and the brush handle inserted into the belt loop without a clip. Example measurements of the modular parts are included in the figure. Note that the nose from the kit shown in FIG. 4 is shown on the assembled artist gnome in FIG. 5 and the round nose from the artist gnome kit is shown on the assembled archer gnome in FIG. 4 , demonstrating the customizability of the figures and the ability to modify the parts to change the appearance of the figures.

FIGS. 6-24 provide additional examples of kits for assembling gnomes having modular accessories and body parts. The provided examples are representative but not exhaustive, and are intended to convey a sample of the possible examples of modular parts that can be included in kits and added to the customizable figures. As can be appreciated from the figures, the accessories can be varied in color and style. For example, at least 12 styles of shoes or feet are shown, some in various colors, but all are approximately the same size such that they can be interchanged to customize the characters. The skin tones of the body parts and the beard colors can also be varied. FIGS. 6-10 show an army gnome, barbarian/Viking gnome, beach bum gnome, chef gnome, and clown gnome, respectively. FIGS. 11-15 show a construction worker gnome, drummer gnome, gardener gnome, hockey player gnome, and keyboard player gnome, respectively. FIGS. 16-20 show a lobsterman gnome, mischievous gnome, nurse gnome, and orc gnome, respectively. FIGS. 21-24 show a pirate gnome, scuba diver gnome, rocker gnome, and wizard gnome, respectively. The provided examples show two accessories per gnome that are attached to the belt, but as can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the belt can be designed to varying numbers of accessories depending upon the number of loops or clips on the belt. In some embodiments, other fastening means such as zip ties or thread may be used to attach accessories to the belt (see for example the buoy in FIG. 16 ).

FIGS. 25A-25C show examples of the attachments to the belt. FIG. 25A is an example of a belt with loops and accessories with clips. FIG. 25B shows an accessory with the clip inserted into the loop. FIG. 25C is a close-up image of a clip.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 26 and in FIG. 16 , standalone accessories can also be included in the kits or provided with an assembled character figure. FIG. 26 shows a sandcastle, which could be accessorized with such as the beach bum gnome. FIG. 16 includes a lobster trap as an accessory to the lobsterman.

In a one example, the character is a fictional character figure comprising a soft body, and components such as faux fur, a base, and modular parts. The faux fur can be shaped to provide hair and/or facial hair for the fictional character. The base can be shaped to look like feet or shoes. The modular parts can include one or more of a nose, ears, a belt, a hat, and an accessory or group of accessories. One or more of the accessories can removably attach to the belt as described previously.

The soft body can be a sock. When fully assembled, the sock is filled with a filling. The filling for the sock can be dry rice, dry beans, or a suitable toy filling as described previously. Components including the faux fur, nose, ears and hat can be adhered to the soft body. The belt may be adhered, or may be held in place simply by being placed around the sock before the body is filled such that the shape of the filled body allows the belt to stay in place. The body may be adhered to the base or rest upon it. The accessories can be attached to the belt via clips or hooks integrated into the accessory as described previously.

The fictional character can be provided to a consumer either fully assembled, partially assembled, or as separate components for assembly by the consumer. When provided to the consumer as partially assembled or as separate components, the sock can be included as a component or be provided by the consumer. The sock can be provided to the consumer either filled or unfilled. The filling can be provided with the character figure or can be provided by the consumer.

Although embodiments have been described herein in detail, the descriptions are by way of example. The features of the embodiments described herein are representative and, in alternative embodiments, certain features and elements may be added or omitted. Additionally, modifications to aspects of the embodiments described herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the following claims, the scope of which are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass modifications and equivalent structures.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

It should be noted that measurements, amounts, and other numerical data can be expressed herein in a range format. It is also understood that there are a number of values disclosed herein, and that each value is also herein disclosed as “approximately” that particular value in addition to the value itself. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, then “approximately 10” is also disclosed. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “approximately,” it will be understood that the particular value forms a further aspect. For example, if the value “approximately 10” is disclosed, then “10” is also disclosed.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” “at or about,” and “substantially equal” can mean that the amount or value in question can be the exact value or a value that provides equivalent results or effects as recited in the claims or taught herein. That is, it is understood that amounts, sizes, measurements, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art such that equivalent results or effects are obtained. In general, an amount, size, measurement, parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “about,” “approximate,” “at or about,” or “substantially equal” whether or not expressly stated to be such. It is understood that where “about,” “approximately,” “at or about,” or “substantially equal” is used before a quantitative value, the parameter also includes the specific quantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Where a range is expressed, a further aspect includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

For example, where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure, e.g. the phrase “x to y” includes the range from ‘x’ to ‘y’ as well as the range greater than ‘x’ and less than ‘y’. The range can also be expressed as an upper limit, e.g. ‘about x, y, z, or less’ and should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘less than x’, less than y’, and ‘less than z’. Likewise, the phrase ‘about x, y, z, or greater’ should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘greater than x’, greater than y’, and ‘greater than z’. In addition, the phrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’”, where ‘x’ and ‘y’ are numerical values, includes “about ‘x’ to about ‘y’”.

It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a numerical range of “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 0.1% to about 5%, but also include individual values (e.g., about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, and about 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., about 0.5% to about 1.1%; about 5% to about 2.4%; about 0.5% to about 3.2%, and about 0.5% to about 4.4%, and other possible sub-ranges) within the indicated range. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A character figure comprising one or more modular parts, wherein the modular parts are selected from a nose, ears, shoes, feet, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof.
 2. The character figure according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the modular parts are 3D printed.
 3. The character figure according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the modular parts are molded from a cast.
 4. The character figure according to claim 1, wherein the character figure comprises a soft body.
 5. The character figure according to claim 1, wherein the belt comprises one or more loops.
 6. The character figure according to claim 5, wherein the accessory comprises a clip configured to insert into the loop to hold the accessory.
 7. The character figure according to claim 4, wherein one or more of the modular parts is attached to the body, and wherein the attachment is adhesive.
 8. The character figure according to claim 4, wherein one or more of the modular parts is attached to the body, and wherein the attachment is magnetic or hook and loop.
 9. The character figure according to claim 1, wherein the character figure is a gnome.
 10. The character figure according to claim 1, further comprising a beard, hair, fur or a combination thereof.
 11. A kit for a character figure comprising one or more modular parts, wherein the modular parts are selected from a nose, ears, shoes, feet, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof.
 12. The kit according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the modular parts are 3D printed.
 13. The kit according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the modular parts are molded from a cast.
 14. The kit according to claim 11, further comprising a casing for a soft body.
 15. The kit according to claim 14, wherein the casing is a sock.
 16. The kit according to claim 14, wherein the casing for the soft body is filled with a filler selected from dry rice, dry beans, beads, organic stuffing, and man-made stuffing.
 17. The kit according to claim 14, further comprising a beard, hair, fur, or a combination thereof.
 18. The kit according to claim 14, wherein the belt comprises one or more loops, and wherein the accessory comprises a clip configured to insert into the one or more loops to hold the accessory.
 19. A fictional character figure comprising a soft body, faux fur, a base, and one or more modular parts; wherein the modular parts are selected from a nose, ears, shoes, a belt, a hat, an accessory, and combinations thereof; and wherein the soft body is a sock, the sock being filled with a filling selected from dry rice, dry beans, or toy filling.
 20. The fictional character figure according to claim 19, wherein the soft body, the faux fur, the base, and the one or more modular parts are provided as separate components for assembly by a consumer, and wherein the consumer provides the filling. 